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After a while of reading the Times, I saw tons of how-to write for the Times
articles, but they were all articles only on how to write, well, articles. This
annoys me because there are so many talented poets in Whyville!
So, on behalf of the poets of Whyville, I thought I should write a 'how to write poetry'
piece for the
Times. And here it is!
There are many different types of poems. Although I cannot talk about all the poetry
styles in one article, I will try to share a few of the more common ones. I will
even show you how to write your own poetry. Hopefully, this will help all the aspiring
new poets out there.
To start, I will use one of the most simple of poems, an acrostic. This is where you
simply spell out something along the edge of your paper and make up a line for
each letter. Here are some examples:
Likes eating
Leaves
At
My
Attic
See how I have spelled the word 'llama' in bold and have a line for
each letter in the name? The lines you have can create a sentence like this one, or
there can be a sentence for each letter. For the more experienced poets, you
can try to create a more elaborate acrostic that ends with the same letters as
well.
Tuckin' aT nighT
Out OttO
EveryonE has a toE
Second up are sausage poems. These particular poems are like sausage because
they are linked together by sounds and letters. The first and last words
don't really count, but the middle ones are the trickiest. The last letter
and sound of a preceding word must be the beginning sound and letter of the next.
At Tack's Storeworld, Donald Duck kicks sand
See how they link together?
Next is persona. Basically, what you do for a persona, you pick a person you
know and follow the format.
Person's first name
Four ajectives that describe them,
Friend of ______,
Loves ______,________, and ________,
Scared of _______,_________, and _______,
Wants to see ________,_______, and_______,
Resident of _________,
Last name
My
Smart, funny, hyper, loyal,
Friend of man,
Loves chasing balls, squirrels, and cats,
Scared of vacuums, masks, printers,
Wants to see lots of treats, toys, and bacon,
Resident of his dog house,
Dog
This is the same concept with the I am poem.
I am
I am ___ and ____ on _______.
I wonder about_______.
I hear ________.
I see ________.
I want _______.
Beginning line.
I pretend to _______.
I feel _______.
I touch _______.
I worry _______.
I cry _______.
Beginning line.
I understand _______.
I say _______.
I dream_______.
I try _______.
I hope _______.
Beginning line.
I am unique and senile on Tuesday.
I wonder about mummies.
I hear whispering cards.
I see the world around me.
I want to be strong.
I am unique and senile on Tuesday.
I pretend to be happy.
I feel too much.
I touch the sky.
I worry about trees.
I cry when I look in my hope chest.
I am unique and senile on Tuesday.
I understand it is up to me.
I say short people rule the world.
I dream I am flying over a misty could.
I try to achieve.
I hope the world is in good hands.
I am unique and senile on Tuesday.
Everyone loves a good limerick! So here's some more fill in the blanks, but
first some rules: The first line must rhyme with the second line. The third
and fourth lines must rhyme. And the last line must rhyme the first line.
I once knew a ______ from _______,
And everyday s/he ______.
Whatever s/he _____,
S/he could never ______.
Of ___ ____ those ____.
I once knew Samantha from Bay,
And everyday she went on her way,
Whatever she did,
She could never rid,
Of strange Michelle those days.
The last poetry style I am going to share with you is free style. It is the
most versatile kind of poetry where basically anything goes. For beginners, I
would start off with the basic story format with AABB rhyming lines in four
line stanzas, though it doesn't have to rhyme to be free verse. An AABB rhyming format would be where the first and second
lines rhyme, and the third and last lines rhyme, but the last and first
lines don't rhyme. A stanza is the equivalent of a paragraph in writing. So
each set of lines of poetry is a stanza. Maybe this example will make it more
clear:
On a day I care to say, A
While I was going on my way, A
What should I see, B
Was quite a mystery. B
See? Together that makes a stanza. Add some more stanzas and you've got your own
free verse poem:
On a day I care to say,
While I was going on my way,
What should I see,
Was quite a mystery.
It had wings,
Eyes, and a clump of other things,
Jewels and gems,
Things that fascinate men.
I asked it where it was going,
It said it would be showing,
Quite confused,
I tripped on something old and used.
There it said,
Is where all things come from, good and dead,
There it laid its riches,
In troughs cold and dusty ditches.
It gave me one last wish,
To protect an old list,
And give a hearty whistle,
If ever I am in a financial thistle,
To come up and show,
Those shiny coals,
That fascinate men,
How I liked those jewels and gems!
There are so many different types of poetry, so go out there and explore.
Some poets I would recommend would be Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe.
Here is an opportunity for you. Y-mail Misshelle your own poem. It can be
any kind of poem, and you can send me as many as you want. I will give out
prizes to people who have worked hard on their poems. Prizes will include
clams, and face parts. The first person to send me a poem will get 100
clams.
Thanks,
Misshelle
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